Topical bromfenac effective in improving vision in CME patients

NEW ORLEANS — Administering topical bromfenac is as effective as diclofenac sodium and ketorolac tromethamine in improving vision in patients with cystoid macular edema, according to a poster presented here at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

David S. Rho, MD, and colleagues at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey compared the efficacy of administering topical Xibrom (bromfenac ophthalmic solution 0.09%, Ista Pharmaceuticals) twice daily with administering diclofenac sodium 0.1% four times daily and Acular (ketorolac tromethamine 0.5%, Allergan) four times daily for the treatment of acute pseudophakic CME after uncomplicated phacoemulsification and posterior chamber IOL implantation.

Of 166 patients, 62 patients received bromfenac, 52 patients received diclofenac sodium and 52 patients received ketorolac tromethamine. Patients averaged 75.1 years of age in the bromfenac group, 75.9 years in the diclofenac group and 74.9 years in the ketorolac tromethamine group, according to the poster.

The researchers observed no statistically significant differences between the three treatment groups in baseline or final mean visual acuity or in baseline or final mean ETDRS letters. Patients in all three groups experienced a significant improvement in visual acuity (P < .001) and ETDRS letters (P < .001).

In addition, patients treated with bromfenac had a significantly better mean letter gain than patients treated with ketorolac tromethamine (P = .036), according to the poster.

"Bromfenac-treated patients had slightly better mean final VA and mean final letters than patients treated with either ketorolac or diclofenac, though these findings did not reach statistical significance," the authors said.

"No serious adverse reactions were reported in this study," they noted.